Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Union territory archipelago in Bay of Bengal, India.
Andaman and Nicobar comprise over eight hundred forested islands between the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea, most of them uninhabited. The chain stretches several hundred kilometers from north to south, separating the open ocean from shallower coastal waters.
British authorities founded a penal colony in Port Blair during the mid-nineteenth century, building a prison for Indian resistance fighters. After independence, the islands became a union territory that absorbed refugees and settlers from mainland India.
Settlements across the islands mix Tamil, Bengali and Ranchi influences, visible in temples, mosques and churches standing side by side. Residents often speak Hindi, Bengali or Tamil in daily life, while markets sell local dishes centered on fish and coconut.
Travelers fly into Port Blair and arrange ferries or chartered boats from there to reach other inhabited islands. Many areas require special permits that should be requested days in advance to access remote coastlines or protected zones.
Several indigenous communities live in forest reserves closed to outsiders, making the islands one of the few places with such strict access restrictions. Visitors can learn about these isolated groups through museums and cultural centers without entering the reserves themselves.
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